One's Regret
by wafflebelgianwaffle
Summary: Years after the Pharoh leaves Seto cannot help but still wait for his return. Even as he falls into deeper loneliness he won't give up hoping and waiting. Seto x Yami Yugi, character death.


**A/N:** Yo guys, just some info before you read. First Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfic ever, actually first fanfic ever! (laughs) So about this story, I've actually never seen the ending of Yu-Gi-Oh! -shot- So don't bash me if it's completely off from where the anime left off. Because I have no idea where it did. xD This is just my little interpretation of what might happen. Thanks for reading!

* * *

**One's Regret**

_I'm lying when I say that I haven't looked, waited, or hoped for the time when I can see you. A silhouette against the blazing sun. The door to opens to a beautiful face and vibrant red eyes. To turn the corner on the street and see you standing there proudly, as if to say,"Did you not expect me to come back?". But, there is no silhouette against the sun, the door only opens up to regular faces, and there is no one there around the corner. _

_Maybe I'm asking for too much. At this point in time, I only ask for a small sign. A brisk laugh in the wind, the smell of your hair, the graze of skin on skin. Any sign, at this point in time, would make all the sadness, all the regret and remorse go away. _

_It's a continuous cycle, my dark solitude. Everyday hoping for anything. Waking up everyday with the hope of seeing you, then falling asleep to disappointment. Sometimes I wish that I could always slumber, because that is the time when I can see you. Dreams of foreign lands, and distant times. But, even in my dreams you seem to elude me. You are there, then you are not. You are at the end of the street, then you are not. Around the corner I can hear you laugh, but then you are not. In my dreams I know that you are at least there, then in reality where I know that you will never be. _

* * *

"Seto?" mature brown eyes look gravely at cold blue-eyes.

"Seto, did you hear me?" Mokuba asks once more, looking very concerned at his older brother. It's been ten years since everything quieted down, theres no more fights for people's souls, or battles to save the world. Everything is normal now. But, to Mokuba, nothing was right. Seto was different now. He had changed when the Pharaoh left. He was quieter, more secluding himself from others, even Mokuba. But, then, he was also more radical. Ready to take big steps, and bigger chances then before. Wanting to try new prototypes first, even if they were dangerous and could be unstable. This Seto put himself in dangerous situations where he might not come back alive.

Blue-eyes came back to focus and stared at his brother.

Seto nodded his head, "Yes, Mokuba, I heard you. Tell them that they can go ahead and go through with the plans." he swirled his chair away from his desk and Mokuba to stare out the window that towered over Domino City. Mokuba hesitated for a moment, his mouth opened slightly, and his voice caught in his throat. But the curt end to the conversation made him hold back. He wanted to talk to his brother. Talk some sense into him that 'he' was never going to come back, and that he needed to let go. There were people still here, at this moment that loved him and wanted to see him happy once again. Mokuba turned around and walked out the door, leaving his brother to his solitude.

Seto was standing on the edge of a small lake. The still water was like a perfect crystal mirror. He could see himself in it, he is older now, fifteen years have passed by before him. And what has he done in these youthful years?

"Regretted." Seto said allowed.

What would have have rather done?

"Loved."

_The color of the water reminds me of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and this of course leads to memories of when we first dueled. All three of my dragons on the field, no monsters or spell cards on your side. It looked like the end, but then you did something that to this day, no one else has ever been able to do. _

_You did more then beat me and open my mind. You also forever made me connected to you. My mind would forever be on you. All I could think about was to defeat you, to humiliate you, to show you that I was the best._

Seto looked down at his reflection there were lines forming around his eyes, lines that shouldn't have been there for someone as young as he, too tired. The water rippled when the wind blew, the feint sound of laughter was brought with it. Seto didn't dare to look up, if he did the laughter might disappear.

_Are you laughing at me? Is it funny that I've been wasting my life away trying to find you. I went to Egypt a few times, but I found nothing there. I didn't expect to. If you came back you would just come back here._

There was another ripple in the water, but there was no wind to cause it. On the water's surface on the other side of the bank there was the reflection of a tri-colored hair young man with black and blue leather. He stood there with his arms crossed, but the water made his face unclear. Seto stared at water's surface hard.

"If I look up you'll be gone won't you." Seto stated, he played this game for far too long to ever think that he would actually be able to see the one he cherished most. The reflection gave no response. The wind blew again, coming from across the bank and bringing with it Yami's unforgettable smell. The dream was all to real for Seto, even though he had been through the same sequence a million times. He clenched his fists together and pulled his eyes away from the reflection to look at where it should be coming from. The spot where Yami should have been was empty. No sign of anyone being there.

* * *

It was raining outside, everything was gray and dreary. Today the color and life of everything seemed to have been sucked out of the world. Seto didn't notice though, the day the life left the world was twenty years ago. The weather made no difference on his heart. He was standing outside the KaibaCorp building, having a smoke before returning back inside. He could of course smoke inside, he was Seto Kaiba, but Mokuba was getting onto him about his nicotine addiction. So it was best to go outside where Mokuba couldn't see him.

People were still walking the streets in this weather, their black umbrellas only made the scene darker. And the cold breeze brought unnecessary discomfort. Seto watched the people go by, living their normal casual lives. Walking to work, or to lunch with their coworkers or lovers. A small pain shot through Seto at that. But, he was used to them by now, so the expression on his face remained stoic.

It probably would have taken him a little longer to notice him if it wasn't for the bright white umbrella that shone threw all the black ones. Seto, would have thought nothing of it if he didn't see the color that was underneath it. Tri-colored hair and black and blue leather. Seto's breath hitched and his eyes widened. There was no possible explanation. A smirk. Seto dropped his cigarette and started out from underneath the shelter of the the KaibaCorp building. Something flashed in those crimson eyes. A large truck passed by, and when the other side of the street was revealed, there was no white umbrella.

* * *

"I don't know what do anymore, Mokuba." Seto said. He was tired, it showed through his voice and his eyes. There wasn't much left for the great Seto Kaiba to hold onto anymore.

"Seto, it will be okay. You promised everything will-" Seto looked at his brother. There was something there that Mokuba couldn't read, it was as if Seto was somewhere far away.

"I know I did. But, that was a long time ago, and you're okay now. You're not being kidnapped anymore." Seto lightly chuckled at that, and it made Mokuba brighten up. Seto paused, and was stoic once again. Mokuba's face dropped. He was sitting at his desk in his office, his chair slightly turned to Mokuba.

"...I'm tired, Mokuba. I have been for a very long time. I can't believe that I've last even this long. Mokuba," he looked at his brother now.

"You're perfectly capable of handling KaibaCorp now."

"What are saying, Seto?" Mokuba asked, his voice pleading.

Seto turned away from Mokuba, to look out at Domino City.

* * *

"It's been thirty years. Thirty long, draining years. I've looked, waited, and hoped all this time. And what do I get? I get dreams! Dreams of you running away from me." Seto yelled into the night. He was on his balcony at his mansion.

"I guess I should feel happy that I was able to see you that one time. But,was that even you? Or was that just my mind, pitying me and letting me dive deeper into my insanity so I could see you." Seto clenched his fists.

"What now! I ask you, what now, Yami!?" he yells flew out into the silent night, no answer ever coming back to him. His breathing was hard and labored, he was going to need to smoke soon. "Yami...Why did you go! Why did you leave me here to suffer?!" he yelled once more before he fell to his knees, leaning against the balcony railing for support. He buried his face into his hand as he turned around to sit down properly, his back leaning against the railing. He removed his hand and looked up at the night sky. What a sight he must be. The great Seto Kaiba yelling into the night like a madman. Holding back tears that he had never allowed himself to shed.

_-Look at the stars, Seto.- _a distant memory coming back to him when Yami had dragged Seto out onto the balcony, wanting to get him away from his work.

_-They are beautiful, aren't they?'-_Yami's voice echoed in his mind.

"They sure are..."

* * *

Seto was driving through the city streets of Domino. Heading for the lab in the middle of town, he wanted to check out the progress personally before giving them confirmation to start. It was raining again, the streets were dreary and colorless. Seto didn't pay attention to that as he sped along, everything was fading into gray around him, there was no beauty left.

That's when he saw it once again, the white umbrella. It should have faded into the gray but this umbrella was resilient, standing stark against it. And there was someone holding the umbrella, with tri-colored hair and black and blue leather. He was smiling.

There was the sound of breaks being applied, the horns of vehicles blazing, the rain, then the crash of metal and people screaming. More yells, then sirens; far off at first then closer. Through the mayhem on a street corner watching the entire scene was young man with a white umbrella, watching.

* * *

Seto was in darkness, he didn't know how he got there. He was just suddenly there. He knew he was himself, but there was just a void around. Then, suddenly, as if registering his presence the black faded and land appeared, solid land that Seto could stand on. He was at the small lake. Glancing around he could tell that this was an oasis, the sand stretched for miles outwards, and this area seemed to be the only place with life. He looked down a the waters surface, he could see himself once again. But, unlike before he was once again a young man in boyhood.

The change didn't surprise him, because there on the other side of the bank on the water surface was another reflection. It was the last thing he saw before the the blackness. A young man holding a white umbrella, closed now and over his shoulder, with tri-colored hair and black and blue leather. Seto couldn't help but smile to himself, "So it's like that is it? Just another dream where you disappear." There was a pause and then,

"Not this time, Seto."

Seto couldn't believe what he had just heard. Words, a full sentence, even his name spoken in that beautiful voice. Seto dared not look up now, if this dream Yami could talk he wished that he would never wake up. The wind blew and the reflection laughed, the reflection actually moved.

"Don't worry, Seto. This time I won't run." Something in him made him look up, he knew he shouldn't, the moment he did he knew Yami would be gone, and he would wake up. He slowly looked up to the other side of the bank. No one was there.

Seto jumped slightly as small light arms wrapped themselves around his torso. The touch, it was real, the smell was there. Crimson eyes looked up to him from behind his shoulder. They were shiny and moist, but brilliant in every way, a million red stars shining in them. Seto moved on instinct, turning around and scooping Yami into his ams so the two could embrace.

"I won't leave this time."


End file.
